Pony League Represents Colton on Road to West Zone Championship

It was just a few days notice when the Colton Pony Baseball Boys U16 All Stars team got the invitation to play in San Jose this Saturday, Aug. 1. It was one step closer to the West Zone Championship. After besting opponent Moreno Valley in a tournament on Monday, July 27, last Friday afternoon the team made their way to California's Bay area to play Kirkland LUX from Arizona on Saturday for the chance to move on to the championship game in Indiana. In order to raise funds, the team held two fundraisers during the week: the first a car wash at Taco Joes, and the second a dinner fundraiser held Thursday evening. The funds, explained the team's Assistant Coach John Murillo, helped the team cover the cost of fuel and food, while the Pony Baseball league covered the cost of the rooms. Several community members and leaders joined forces to help raise the approximate $1,200 the team needed to cover the trip, many of whom came out to personally deliver donation checks at the dinner fundraiser Thursday night. DJ Cynthia provided music at the event. But though the team was working on only a few day's notice to make the trip, they were more than happy to receive the invitation. With an outstanding season of 12-2, the team said they were more than ready to show their skills on the field. "Making it this far feels really good," said Noah Murillo, 16, who plays catcher. "At this age level, there are so many obstacles that these kids go through," said Murillo, Noah's father. "It was great to see them come together this season as a team and as a family." Bill Alvarado's son, Bill IV, is another member of the team, and Alvarado commented on the amazing growth he's seen in the young men. "I'm a proud dad," said Alvarado. "I'm proud to watch them out there on the field and turn from boys into men. I've known a lot of these kids for six to eight years myself, and coached a lot of them too. I've watched these guys go out there and make these wins." Lisa Alvarado, Alvarado's mother and Bill IV's grandmother, said, "I'm thrilled they made it this far. They seem confident and they look really good." Alex McKeehan, son of Team Manager Andy McKeehan, covers several positions, playing pitcher, first base and third base. "It's a great group of guys and we've all been playing together for a long time," McKeehan, 16, said. "This is our first time up there and we've been strong this season." Last Saturday's game kicked off at 2:30 p.m. and the team was representing Colton in San Jose, one of only two teams representing Southern California, alongside Covina. Colton bested their opponent, Arizona's Kirkland, 5-1 on Saturday, with Colton's Dominic Tejada pitching a 5-score defending game and Lucas Mower going three for three with three runs batted in. Their win on Saturday advanced them to another on Sunday, Aug. 2, where they took on opponent Los Gatos Legends, from Santa Clara. Colton led the game up until the 7th inning on Sunday, ultimately taking a narrow loss with the final 5-4 score, said Murillo. "That was a good game. Even some of the organizers and directors said it was one of the best games they've seen in six years, that's how good it was," said Murillo. Colton went against Covina on Monday afternoon at 2:30 for the chance to head to Indiana for the Champisonship game later in August. At time of press Monday, the score of that game was yet unknown.